Chapter 1268: Tactical Coordination
Yan Zhichun confirmed the strategy and signaled to those around her. Everyone scattered to various positions, preparing to launch a full-force strike against the Longhorn Beetle.
But before the tactic could be executed, Yan Zhichun felt her heart suddenly tighten.
She clutched her chest, raised her head to look toward the exit of the "cargo hold," and felt as if something important had vanished in that instant.
"Zhichun, what's wrong?" Jiang Ruoxue moved to Yan Zhichun's side, looking at her expression as she spoke.
"I don't know..." Yan Zhichun's lips trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened. "I suddenly feel so sad..."
"You need to pull yourself together now," Jiang Ruoxue said softly. "There are still people waiting for us."
"Okay... okay..." Yan Zhichun nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. She didn't understand why she had suddenly become like this, but there was no time to think about it now.
The Black Sheep was already battered and bruised after several collisions with the Longhorn Beetle. Just standing there, he looked like he might collapse at any moment. But thankfully, Yan Zhichun had found a foolproof plan, confident she could corner the Longhorn Beetle in the final moments.
When the Longhorn Beetle, hidden in the shadows, came to its senses, it realized that many of the "Participants" had changed positions and were now scattered in strange places.
But they still couldn't see it, so what could they possibly do now?
Yan Zhichun, Jiang Ruoxue, Old Sun, and Su Shan stood in the same corner, staring at the air above. Zhou Liu, taking advantage of the chaos, had slipped over to the Black Sheep and the many "Ants." Everyone was in position, and this sudden coordination made the Longhorn Beetle feel a vague sense of unease.
But now, with a strange "door" hoisted on its shoulder, it had nowhere to go. The Black Sheep, inexplicably stubborn, was covered in wounds yet still holding on, as if he didn't care about his own life at all.
"Longhorn Beetle..." The Black Sheep slowly raised his head, blood trickling down his face. "I'm in a hurry... come out and fight me. Don't drag your feet."
The Longhorn Beetle continued to hide, pondering its options. This sudden turn of events was far too troublesome.
Why did these people have to come at this exact moment, just when it was about to place the "door"? Forced into a corner, it had no choice but to flee with the "door" in tow.
If it put the "door" down now, these people would see it. And if they chose to destroy it, none of the "Ants" would be able to reach the "Peach Blossom Spring." If Qinglong found out about this, it would be as good as dead.
But the "door" was too large, and carrying it made it impossible to escape through the long stairway.
Countless questions began to echo in the Longhorn Beetle's mind. How did these people bypass the long corridor and come directly to the "cargo hold"?
And why was their timing so precise?
If the "Participants" wanted to reach the "cargo hold," they should have rushed there immediately after boarding the train. Every second of delay would bring unforeseen danger.
At that time, it had just entered the "cargo hold" and hadn't retrieved the "door," so it would have had ample ability to resist.
But these people had clearly waited for a while before coming, perfectly timing their arrival when it was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
So, what was happening outside now?
For a large group of "Participants" to waltz in here, had everyone else died?
Yan Zhichun took a small step forward, eyes fixed ahead, and whispered to Su Shan, "Can you see it?"
"Yes," Su Shan replied, also staring straight ahead, speaking softly without moving. "It's standing at my eleven o'clock. I'll keep my eyes on it from now on."
"Good."
Yan Zhichun signaled to Zhou Mo in the distance. Zhou Mo nodded, then glanced at Officer Li.
Officer Li understood. He stared at a mangled corpse in the distance, reached into his pocket, and after some fumbling, pulled out a bloody eyeball.
Then he bent down, placed the eyeball on the ground, and gently rolled it toward the center of the square.
All the "Ants" immediately sensed the eyeball. They all shifted slightly, as if adjusting some coordinates, but none of them moved.
"The direction the eyeball rolled is twelve o'clock..." Yan Zhichun's heart was in her throat. "They understood the tactic Zhou Mo described..."
"This tactic isn't hard for them..." Jiang Ruoxue murmured. "The hard part is for us..."
"Don't worry, I'm here," Yan Zhichun said sternly. "Begin the operation."
At the command "Begin the operation," Su Shan immediately widened her eyes and looked into the distance. "She's at seven o'clock from the eyeball."
"'Heavy, heavy, light, light, light,'" Yan Zhichun said.
Old Sun closed his eyes and waved his hand toward the sky. A few seconds later, five stones—two large and three small—materialized out of thin air and fell to the ground.
*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The sound of the stones falling from a great height was loud, causing the ground to tremble.
Before the Longhorn Beetle could figure out what was happening, a massive swarm of "Ants" suddenly lunged in its direction.
Startled, it quickly dodged to the side, and the swarm missed.
What was going on?
The "Ants" seemed to know exactly where it was, yet their attacks were as chaotic as casting a net.
"Three o'clock," Su Shan said again.
"'Heavy, heavy, heavy, light, light,'" Yan Zhichun said.
More stones fell, and another swarm of "Ants" charged at the Longhorn Beetle. A chill ran down its spine as it frantically fled, still carrying the "door."
Many of the "Ants" had originally been demoted from "Earth-level" statuses. Their physical abilities were no weaker than its own, and if they caught it, the consequences would be dire.
"Its rhythm is broken," Su Shan said quietly. "Now, six o'clock."
"'Heavy, light, light, light, light.'"
The successive attacks left the Longhorn Beetle completely overwhelmed. The sheer number of "Ants" was staggering—hundreds of them moving together—and the space it could dodge was extremely limited.
It quickly activated "Levitation" to escape into the air, moving a significant distance away before turning around to look down, trying to figure out how they had coordinated this joint offensive.
One side was the "Participants," the other was the "Ants." They had no way to communicate, yet they seemed to have formed a united front.
Just a few stones falling to the ground, and they could simultaneously command over a hundred people to act with precision. What kind of tactic was this?
"The target has left the coordinate range. Immediate repositioning required."
Su Shan signaled to Officer Li in the distance.
Officer Li nodded, patted an "Ant" beside him. The "Ant" immediately crawled forward and crushed the previous eyeball.
Then Officer Li reached into his pocket again, pulled out a new eyeball, and rolled it toward the new position Su Shan had indicated.
All the "Ants" adjusted their orientation once more, re-establishing the "twelve o'clock" direction.
"New coordinates. Ground to air. Four o'clock," Su Shan said, her eyes bloodshot.
"'Heavy, light, heavy,' 'light, light, light, light, heavy.'"
The Longhorn Beetle never imagined the tactical design could be so meticulous. Not until it saw a massive swarm of "Ants" leaping high into the air toward its position did it realize the gravity of the situation.